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Former Croatia international Nikola Pokrivac has died in a car accident in his home country, the Croatian Football Federation has confirmed.<\/b><\/p>\n
The 39-year-old midfielder played for Dinamo Zagreb, AS Monaco and RB Salzburg over his career and won 15 international caps from 2008 to 2010.<\/p>\n
Pokrivac was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015 which forced him to retire from professional football.<\/p>\n
But he returned to amateur football in 2021 and joined lower league side NK Vojnic last summer.<\/p>\n
Local media said he was in a vehicle with three team-mates from NK Vojnic when they were involved in a four-vehicle collision in Karlovac in central Croatia on Friday evening.<\/p>\n
It has been reported a 42-year-old person in another car was also killed, while the other occupants of Pokrivac’s car were taken to hospital with serious injuries.<\/p>\n
“Nikola was a great football player, who lived football until his last moment in this world, and who showed great courage in life by overcoming a terrible disease,” said Croatian Football Federation president Marijan Kustic.<\/p>\n
“This is a great loss for our football community, and especially painful for the family.”<\/p>\n
Pokrivac played at Euro 2008, where Croatia reached the quarter-finals, and faced England twice in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.<\/p>\n
“It is impossible to find words of comfort in such a shocking and unimaginably sad moment when we have lost a young life,” added Kustic.<\/p>\n
“I can only express my deepest condolences to Nikola’s family and loved ones for this irreparable loss, and the HNS [the national football association] and the Croatian football family will be with them in these most difficult moments.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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